MIDLAND HIGHWAY OVERTAKING LANES ON TRACK

The Andrews Labor Government will build four new overtaking lanes on the Midland Highway between Bannockburn and Meredith to make this vital corridor safer and more reliable for all road users.

Member for Buninyong Geoff Howard today announced Bituimil as the successful contractor to build the $12.5 million upgrade.

The Midland Highway between Bannockburn and Meredith is a two-lane, two-way road that carries about 4,000 vehicles each day between Geelong and Ballarat and there are currently no overtaking opportunities.

Since 2012, there have been 12 serious injury crashes along this section, with four of these run-off or cross-over crashes.

The upgrade will improve safety, reduce delays and support the growing needs of freight operators and commuters on this critical route.

Locations of the four overtaking lanes have been determined following VicRoads consultation with the community.

There will be two 1km long overtaking lanes in each direction, with flexible safety barriers along the entire length to prevent run-off road crashes.

VicRoads has conducted extensive flora and fauna assessments of the target sites and has worked hard to minimise the amount of trees and vegetation to be removed.

The upgrade will be built in four stages to minimise disruptions to Midland Highway traffic, starting with overtaking lane one, closest to Geelong, before moving to lanes two, three and four.

Construction will start next month and be completed by mid-2018.

Quotes Attributable to Member for Buninyong, Geoff Howard:

“This upgrade will provide a much safer and more reliable journey on one of the busiest stretches of the Midland Highway.”

“We have listened to what the community has had to say about safety on the Midland Highway – now we’re getting on and building the additional overtaking lanes that residents and freight operators need.”